Counterpoint: Tiger's Played This Perfectly

Update:  Since I originally wrote this post on December 1 the story has only gotten more sordid and bizarre.  Not sure the post is still relevant, but I'm not pulling it as I still think it's worthy of discussion.

There are a few things bothering me about the Tiger Woods coverage thus far, including:

1. The instant presumption of guilt;
2. The high-and-mighty tone of the media coverage;
3. The rush-to-criticism of how he's handled the situation. 

Perhaps it really is the worst PR hatchet job ever, BUT I don't see anyone bothering to argue that perhaps Tiger's handled it perfectly.  A few thoughts ...

• Have any of your friends and family expressed real disdain for Tiger's alleged dalliances?  I haven't.  Why?  Because we all do stupid things and unless you're a grandstanding politician or member of the 4th estate struggling for eyeballs, we know better than to judge.
• How many people do you REALLY believe will stop buying Cadillacs, Wheaties and every other piece of merch featuring his name or likeness?  Here's my guess ... 1% drop-off.  And over time he'll gain that back.
• What explanation does he owe anyone?  Where in the celebrity-fan social contract does it say he's on the hook to come clean?
• None of us are privy to the legal ramifications of going public.  Someone in his position might have more to gain by letting the rumor mill stir rather than telling his story to us.
• Why do we care so much about what he does in his private time?  Why is it even worth his time to indulge our gossip-loving fanaticism? 
• I keep hearing people say that if he just went public right away, this would all have blown over.  Nonsense.  This story has legs regardless of his participation.  Nothing he could do would dampen the volume or tone of coverage. 

To be honest, I'm not sure I'm buying my own argument.  But I guess the point of this post is that we should always force ourselves to look at situations like this from every angle - not just the most obvious or convenient.

Comments

[Nick S.]

The story keeps getting uglier with each day. I don't blame Tiger for not saying anything. Kobe Bryant was accused of terrible things, eventually apologized, and is once again king of the NBA. He and his wife stayed together and seem to be doing well.

If Kobe can make it through all of that, Tiger can make it through this. With enough time and a public apology (if the rumors of his affairs are true), Tiger will be just fine.

[Ian]

I just can't make the connection btwn Kobe and Tiger. What Kobe was accused of was criminal. What Tiger is accused of is bad judgment. I don't think it's fair to draw a parallel. Interested to see how it plays out.

[Nick S.]

I'm not talking about Tiger's car wreck. I'm talking about his alleged affairs, which seem to be dominating the news today. The whole thing keeps snowballing into more and more. It started with the accident. Now I'm reading transcripts of voicemails he has alleged left to women he has been having affairs with.

While the affairs aren't criminal, they're much bigger than a simple car wreck. The affair is what Kobe apologized for, and I think that eventually, with an apology and time (if the allegations are true), Tiger will be just fine.

[Jim Mitchem]

My wife jumped to conclusions. And for the most part, she was right (based on what has come out thus far.) But she doesn't follow golf - she's just one of those chicks that sometimes likes to put her nose in the celebrity stuff. She's not obsessive about it, but something like this is big. Speculation is part of human nature. She still teases me that I think OJ is innocent based on a jury's decision. Sure, another jury found him guilty but the first one didn't. And I don't understand the legal process - so I just say he's innocent. Yet, do you think most people believe he's innocent b/c he was proved innocent and denied the act? No. Everyone thinks he's guilty. But me. Speculation is human nature. Tiger fucked up - whether for promiscuity or driving drunk or snoring on a neighbor's pillow on his front lawn - something went wrong. And people care. I think his trying to handle this directly was a PR mistake. Should have deferred everything to a PR agent and been done with it. For that, he's an idiot.

[Za Za]

Well known people, who pitch products put a lot of time, effort and dollars into getting the public to feel as though we do have a stake in there lives. This is part of why we use the products they endorse. When this person exhibits negative behavior
it is only natural that it can exact negative reactions. I still like Tiger but come on seven and counting. I hope he didn't go out and play eighteen holes.

[JD]

Hi Ian, happy new year! What interests me the most is that we're not really talking about what he did, just how he handled it. Why is betraying the trust of someone (supposedly the most important someone) put under the "we all do stupid things" banner. Only someone who is incredibly narcissistic would do what Tiger did and think they can get away with it. I'm sorry if this sounds too moral high groundish, let's hope it never happens to you (not the good golf score, your spouse banging 15 people). And if it does, well I guess you'll have to get over it. My guess is your kids will too (after they look it up on the internet and see what a really great person you really are).